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Homilia christologica in Lazarum, Mariam et Martham [Sp.]

Of our father among the saints and confessor Eustathius, bishop of Antioch, on the supper of Lazarus and on Mary and Martha his sisters.

1 Let us listen, beloved; even now the sacred trumpet of the gospels proclaims the good news to the Church of God. And what does it add for the gladness of the faithful? For let us make this the crown and guide of our discourse for what follows. John says, the evangelist, the son of thunder, who drew the ineffable mysteries from the all-bearing place of wisdom of the Lord's heart: "Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus who had died was, whom he had raised from the dead. They therefore made him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those reclining with him."

2 Well did the nursling of truth bring forward again into the midst him who shortly before had been bound in the prison of Hades, who had leapt forth and laughed at the bonds of death by the routs of death, released from the inhospitable swaddling clothes; and passing over all who were eating with him, he counted this man by name. For the purpose of the evangelist was not to embellish the one proclaimed through him in the company and feasting of glorious persons, nor to declare pleasing things, but from his own works to make the wonder-working God known to all.

3 For it was a work of Christ, and the greatest of works, the raising of Lazarus who had been dissolved and melted into corruption. For this very reason he also shows him dining with the Lord, and he publishes the miracle to the world as no mere phantom, and he makes the marvel a feast of that splendid feast, in which Lazarus was set forth as an early gift, a spiritual food for the guests, that of that wondrous supper in which the pleasure of the belly was restrained and the souls of those reclining feasted, that of that wondrous joy in which he who had been made a table for corruption, again became for living men a table full of wonders.

4 For it was fitting for him who is all-resourceful and who from his will, as from a perpetual spring, causes good things to gush forth, having entered under the roof of the poor, to add rich things to the needy, just as also for those in Cana of Galilee the uncultivated pouring of wine, and to bring that released one opportunely into their midst and, as a paradise of feasting, feasting and being feasted upon, to open it to the children; in which no smell of corruption appeared; for through the divine call he partook of the incorruptible fragrance; nor again was any mutilation of limbs shown; for the one who refashioned him by a command was a creator, but not a small or great thing which characterizes alteration for those who are brought down, but the image was whole, complete from every side and comely even to a hair.

5 Fittingly, therefore, he nourishes that gladness, I mean both from the pure love of the all-virtuous ones who received him, and from the wonders of the God who was revealed without want. For he knew, he knew clearly that this especially is accustomed to please the divine eye if the one who is benefited... savior.., as he had heard from him that "My food is to do the will of him who sent me," and the will of the Father and the Son is the salvation of men. The salvation of men is faith in him who is always glorified together with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the highest, as he says in the gospels: "this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life."

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Homilia christologica in Lazarum, Mariam et Martham [Sp.]

Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ὁμολογητοῦ Εὐσταθίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀντιοχείας εἰς τὸ δεῖπνον Λαζάρου καὶ εἰς Μαρίαν καὶ Μάρθαν τὰς

ἀδελφὰς αὐτοῦ.

1 Ἀκούσωμεν ἀγαπητοί· καὶ εἰς δεῦρο εὐαγγελίζεται τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ἱερὰ τῶν εὐαγγελίων σάλπιγξ. Καὶ τί εἰς εὐφροσύνην τοῖς πιστοῖς προστίθησιν; Ταύτην γὰρ κορωνίδα τοῦ λόγου καὶ ὁδηγὸν ποιησώμεθα πρὸς τὰ ἑξῆς. Φησὶν Ἰωάννης, ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, ὁ τῆς βροντῆς υἱὸς, ὁ τὰ ἄρρητα μυστήρια ἐκ τοῦ παμφόρου τῆς σοφίας χωρίου τῆς καρδίας τοῦ Κυρίου ἀρυσάμενος· «Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα, ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν, ὅπου ἦν Λάζαρος ὁ τεθνηκὼς, ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Ἐποίησαν οὖν αὐτῷ δεῖπνον· καὶ ἡ Μάρθα διηκόνει, ὁ δὲ Λάζαρος ἦν τῶν ἀνακειμένων αὐτῷ.»

2 Καλῶς ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας τρόφιμος τὸν πρὸ βραχέος εἱρκτῇ ᾅδου πεπεδημένον, ἐκπηδήσαντα καὶ τοὺς τοῦ θανάτου δεσμοὺς ταῖς τοῦ θανάτου τροπαῖς διαγελάσαντα, τῶν σπαργάνων ἀξένων ἀπολυθέντα, εἰς μέσον αὖθις παρήγαγεν καὶ πάντας τοὺς συνεσθίοντας παραδραμὼν, τοῦτον ἐξ ὀνόματος ἀπηρίθμησεν· σκοπὸς γὰρ τῷ εὐαγγελιστῇ, οὐκ ἐν προσώπων ἐνδόξων συνδιατρίβαις καὶ συνεστιάσεσι κατακαλλῦναι τὸν εὐαγγελιζόμενον δι' αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ κεχαρισμένα διαγορεῦσαι, ἀλλ' ἐξ οἰκείων ἔργων πᾶσι γνωστὸν τὸν θαυματουργὸν καταστῆσαι θεόν.

3 Ἔργον δὲ ἄρα ἦν Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἔργων τὸ μέγιστον ἡ τοῦ ἐκλελυμένου καὶ εἰς φθορὰν κεχωνευμένου Λαζάρου ἔγερσις. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ συνδειπνοῦντα τῷ Κυρίῳ δείκνυσι, καὶ ἀφαντασίαστον τὸ θαῦμα δημοσιεύει τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, καὶ εὐωχίαν ποιεῖται τὸ παράδοξον τὸ τῆς λαμπρᾶς ἐκείνης εὐωχίας, ἐν ᾗ ὡς πρώϊμον ξένιον Λάζαρος προύκειτο πνευματικὴ τροφὴ τοῖς δαιτυμόσι, τὸ τοῦ παραδόξου ἐκείνου δείπνου ἐν ᾧ ἡδονὴ γαστρὸς ἐπεσχέθη καὶ εὐωχήθησαν ψυχαὶ ἀνακειμένων, τὸ τῆς παραδόξου ἐκείνης χαρμονῆς ἐν ᾗ ὁ τῇ φθορᾷ τραπεζοποιηθεὶς, ἀνθρώπων ζώντων αὖθις ἐγένετο τράπεζα θαυμάτων ἀνάπλεως.

4 Ἔπρεπε γὰρ τῷ πάντα εὐπόρῳ καὶ ἐκ θελήματος ὡς ἐκ πηγῆς ἀενάου ἀναβλύζοντι τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ὑπὸ στέγην πτωχῶν εἰσεληλυθότι, προσθεῖναι τοῖς πενιχροῖς τὰ πλούσια, καθάπερ καὶ τοῖς ἐν Κανὰ Γαλιλαίας τὴν ἀγεώργητον οἰνοχοΐαν, καὶ τὸν ἀπόλυτον ἐκεῖνον εὐκαίρως εἰς μέσον ἀγαγεῖν καὶ ὡς παράδεισον πανδαισίας εὐωχοῦντά τε καὶ εὐωχούμενον διανοῖξαι τοῖς παισίν· ἐν ᾧ οὐκ ὀσμὴ φθορᾶς ἐφαίνετο· μετέλαβεν γὰρ διὰ τῆς θείας κλήσεως τῆς ἀφθάρτου εὐωδίας· οὐδ' αὖ λώβη μελῶν ἐδείκνυτο· δημιουργὸς γὰρ ἦν ὁ παροστάξει ἀναπλάσας ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μικρόν τι ἢ μέγα ὅπερ ἀλλοίωσιν τοῖς καταβιβαζομένοις διαχαρακτηρίζει, ἀλλ' ἦν ἀκέραιον τὸ ἄγαλμα πάντοθεν ἄρτιον καὶ εὐειδὲς ἄχρι τριχός.

5 Πρεπόντως τοιγαροῦν ἐκτρέφει ἐκείνην εὐφρασίαν, φημὶ δὲ ἔκ τε τῆς τῶν ὑποδεξαμένων παναρέτων ἀκραιφνοῦς ἀγαπῆς, ἔκ τε θαυμάτων τοῦ ἀνενδεῶς ὑποδειχθέντος θεοῦ. Ἤδει γὰρ ᾔδει σαφῶς ὅτι τοῦτο μάλιστα ἐφηδύνειν εἴωθεν τὸν θεῖον ὀφθαλμὸν εἰ τὸν εὐεργετούμενον σωτῆρα .., καθῶς ἀκηκόει παρ' αὐτοῦ ὅτι «ἐμὸν βρῶμά ἐστιν ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με,» θέλημα δὲ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ σωτηρία. Σωτηρία μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπάρχει ἡ εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν ἀεὶ συνδοξαζόμενον τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι ἐν ὑψίστοις πίστις, ὠς ἐν εὐαγγελίοις φησί· «τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Πατρός μου, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ θεωρῶν τὸν Υἱὸν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.»